Daddy's Little Girl

by Mary Higgins Clark

Book Overview

From Mary Higgins Clark, America's bestselling "Queen of Suspense," comes a chilling story of murder that reaches the heights of suspense while exploring the depths of the criminal mind. Ellie... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743206045
• ISBN13: 9780743206044
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

hard to put down book

The story begins with a murder of a fifteen year old girl, Andrea Cavanaugh. The killer was released after a sentence of twenty two years for murdering Andrea Cavanaugh but was he really innocent or guilty? He claims that he was innocent. The younger sister of Andrea Cavanaugh, Ellie Cavanaugh whom became an investigative reporter would get to the bottom of it.

A Great Mystery.

The book I read was Daddy's Little Girl By: Mary Higgins Clark. It is a bout a girl whose name is Ellie Cavanaugh. Her older sister, Andrea was murdered by one of her friends. Ellie's sister told Ellie about a place where Andrea and her "future" killer hung out together. That place is where they found Andrea dead. Now they try to confront the murderer and he denies it. I really liked this book because it was a good mystery book and it made me want to keep reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who is above the age of fourteen

Guilty or Innocent

Never having read one of Mary Higgins Clark's books before I was somewhat skeptical when I chose to read "Daddy's Little Girl." After only reading the first chapter, I knew that I had made a good decision in picking this book. This book was very interesting and was able to keep my attention until the very last words.The story begins when seven-year-old Ellie Cavanaugh finds her fifteen-year-old sister, Andrea, dead as the result of a brutal murder in the garage of wealthy Mrs. Westerfield. The garage was the secret hideout of Andrea and some of her friends. After learning of how she might have been able to save her sister's life, Ellie felt very guilty because she had known that Andrea was to meet Rob Westerfield, Mrs. Westerfield's grandson, at the garage that night. If only Ellie would have told her parents, Andrea might have been still alive. Two days after the funeral, Rob was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while still saying that he was innocent.The death of Andrea split the Cavanaugh family apart. Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh eventually separated. Mrs. Cavanaugh and Ellie moved around the country continuously for many years while Mr. Cavanaugh stayed in New York, remarried, and had a son. Mrs. Cavanaugh became an alcoholic and eventually passed away. Ellie never seemed to completely recover from the loss of her sister by still feeling guilty.Twenty-three years later, Ellie is now thirty years old, lives in Atlanta, Georgia and is an investigative reporter with the Atlanta News. She decides to return home to New York when Rob Westerfield is set to come up for parole the third time. Ellie is determined to do something in order to prevent Rob from getting out of prison.While in New York, Ellie plans to meet and talk with many people in order to find out more information on the murderer Rob Westerfield. Shortly after arriving in her room at the local inn, Ellie finds out that the Westerfields are going to hold a press conference concerning the new evidence they have saying that the real killer was Paulie Stroebel, the friend of Andrea's and worker at the service station. Jake Bern, a best selling true crime writer, now plans to write a book about Andrea's death and Rob Westerfield's innocence.After meeting with Marcus Longo, the retired detective who covered the murder case, and Mrs. Hilmer, the Cavanaugh's neighbor, Ellie called Maggie Reynolds, who was a New York book editor whom she had dealt with before. Maggie decides she would like to go toe-to-toe to Bern's book with one from Ellie. Ellie's book is supposed to prove Rob Westerfield's guilt and Paulie Stroebel's innocence. Ellie then moved out of the inn and into Mrs. Hilmer's guest apartment from where she began to do some research on the case.With the help from some others, Ellie starts to find the locations of some people who may have been involved with Westerfield at some time. This includes some former classmates and teachers at the private schools that Rob

Much better than her last two!

Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when she found the body of Andrea, her fifteen year old sister, in the hideout. The hideout was in the garage behind old Mrs. Westerfield's house. It was little Ellie's testimony that put Andrea's boyfriend, Rob Westerfield, in prison for the murder. The stress and depression tore the family apart. After twenty years Rob was coming up for parole. With his family's influence and money there was no doubt he would be released this time. The family also had an author writing Rob's life story to gain public sympathy. Ellie had grown up and became an investigative reporter with the Atlanta News. She returned to her hometown to make sure Rob was not acquitted. Most believed Rob innocent of Andrea's death. As Ellie investigated and posted her findings on the web for the world to see, she became targeted for murder. ***** Mary Higgins Clark had not written this well in several years. I found it to be MUCH better than her last few novels! Clark seems to have found her muse once again! Highly recommended! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

Page-turning Suspense

Ever popular fiction writer Mary Higgins Clark has written yet another spine-tingling tale in this latest read. As a slight deviation, the victim's sister tells the story in the first person. Twenty-two years ago, fifteen-year-old Andrea Cavanaugh was brutally murdered near her home in suburban West Chester County, New York. Her sister, Ellie, seven-years-old at the time, has shouldered the blame for not telling her parents where her sister might have gone on that fateful night. With the subsequent breakup of her family and her mother's alcoholism, Ellie has grown up remembering her father's "why didn't you tell us?" Now, Ellie is twenty-nine-years-old and an investigative reporter in Atlanta. She returns to her childhood home on the eve of the release of her sister's murderer. Determined to prevent the killer to be exonerated with a new trial, Ellie starts a web page and begins to uncover startling new facts concerning her sister's killer. Though she faces opposition from members of the town who believe in the man's innocence, Ellie continues in her quest. But Ms. Higgins Clark has created a character the reader wants to champion even as her life becomes endangered when she journeys too close to the truth. As the clues mount in this non-stop adventure, Ellie's relationship with her estranged father and half-brother becomes a factor in their effort to protect her from becoming a victim. Clue by clue, the identity of the murderer becomes solidified, but the reader still wonders if Ellie is not being misled. A brilliant read, suspenseful until the very end.